270px, Shirasaki coast
270px, Yura port and old town
is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
located in
Hidaka District There are 2 districts in Japan with the same name.
* Hidaka District, Wakayama
* Hidaka District, Hokkaido
is a newly created district located in Hidaka Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
As of October 31, 2006, the district has an estimated popu ...
,
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 () and has a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. , the town had an estimated
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of 5,442 in 2678 households and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
of 180 persons per km².
The total area of the town is .
Geography
Yura is located on the coast in central Wakayama Prefecture, facing the Kii Channel to the north and west. The western part of the town contains the Shirasaki Prefectural Park, with a landscape made of limestone formations.
Neighboring municipalities
Wakayama Prefecture
*
Hirogawa
270px, Inamura no hi no yakata
is a town in Arida District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 6,778 in 2833 households and a population density of 100 persons per km². The total area of the town is .
Geog ...
*
Hidaka
Climate
Yura has a
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yura is 16.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1839 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 7.3 °C. The area is subject to
typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
s in summer.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Yura population statistics
/ref> the population of Yura has been declining rapidly over the past 40 years.
History
The area of the modern town of Yura was within ancient Kii Province
, or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kii''" in . Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Pro ...
, and its landscape is mentioned in several verses in the Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...
''Man'yōshū
The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...
''. Yura claims to be the location where soy sauce
Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...
was first produced in Japan. The village of Yura established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889 and was raised to town status on October 15, 1947. Yura annexed the neighboring villages of Shirasaki and Ena on January 1, 1955.
Government
Yura has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...
city council of 10 members. Yura collectively with the other municipalities of Hidaka District There are 2 districts in Japan with the same name.
* Hidaka District, Wakayama
* Hidaka District, Hokkaido
is a newly created district located in Hidaka Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
As of October 31, 2006, the district has an estimated popu ...
, contributes three members to the Wakayama Prefectural Assembly
The is the prefectural parliament of Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 () and has a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Pref ...
. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Wakayama 3rd district
Wakayama 3rd district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan (national legislature). It is located in Wakayama Prefecture and consists of Arida, Gobo, Shingu, and Tanabe cities and the Arida, Hidaka, Higashimu ...
of the lower house
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of the Diet of Japan
The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...
.
Economy
The economy of Yura is centered on tourism. The industry is the MES-KHI Yura Dock Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Mitsui E & S Holdings and Kawasaki Heavy Industries
(or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...
, which repairs ships.
Education
Yura has three public elementary schools and one public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.
Transportation
Railway
JR West
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...
– Kisei Main Line
The is a railway line that parallels the coastline of the Kii Peninsula in Japan between Mie Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture. The name takes the ''kanji'' characters from the names of the old provinces of and .
The line is operated by Ce ...
*
Highways
*
Local attractions
*Shirasaki Kaigan Park
*Kokoku-ji
References
External links
*
Yura official website
Towns in Wakayama Prefecture
Yura, Wakayama
Populated coastal places in Japan
{{Wakayama-geo-stub